With a history of more than 1,300 years, the temple were built in A.D. 628 during the Tang Dynasty by Li Shiming to commemorate the soldiers who died during the battle which happened in Binxian and it was called Yingfu Temple originally. Later in the Northern Song Dynasty it was renamed as Qingshou Temple by the emperor Renzong to celebrate the birthday of his mother. Since Ming Dynasty till now, it has been popularly called the Great Buddha Temple because of the giant Buddha statue in it.

The temple is fascinated with the Qingliang Mountain in its south, Jing River in its north and a five-floor chamber standing in front of it. Along the 400-meter’s cliff, there are130 caves, 446 shrines, and 1980 stone-carved buddhas with different sizes. They are divided into five parts: the Great Buddha Grotto, the Thousand-Buddha Cave, the Arhat Cave, the Zhangba Buddha Grotto and the Dormitary Grotto. The entrance to every cave is sheltered by a wooden tower.

The Great Buddha Grotto stands in the center of this temple and is the largest grotto. The seated statue of Maitreya Buddha in the middle of this grotto is 20 meters high, with his head 5.2 meters tall, his hand 4.5 meters long, his fingers 2 meters long and his nails 0.5 meter long. This giant Buddha is recognized as the largest Buddha statue both in Shaanxi Province and along the Silk Road. The graceful Buddha Statue of superb craftsmanship is acclaimed as a marvel of grotto art from the heyday of the Tang Dynasty. Besides, on either side of this giant Buddha stand Bodhisattva Dashizhi and Kwan-yin Bodhisattva, both are 17.6 meters high. They are called the “Three Saints in Paradise”.

Binxian Dafosi massive caves dug in the early Tang Dynasty, to the Emperor (628) basically completed Dynasty years, the beginning of the Temple should be renamed the North Song Qingshou Temple, the largest Buddhist temple known since the Ming. About 160 km from the city of Chang'an (now Xi'an), the Silk Road is a important Buddhist monuments. Binxian large Buddhist caves located 10 kilometers west of this Binxian Shaanxi Chengguan town (formerly curtain Township) Qingliangshan foot Buddha Village, the east side near the Big Buddha temple village, north of State Road 312.

Binxian Dafosi mountain caves chiseled caves, carved stone image, a total of more than 130 caves, patchwork distribution in about 400 meters long and three-dimensional cliff face. A total of 446 shrines, statues, more than 1,980 statues, divided into large Foku, Thousand Buddha Caves, Luohandong (Buddha Cave), Zhangba Foku, Sengfang cave five parts.

According to the director of the largest Buddhist temple grottoes Binxian Management Office Sun Binrong introduced Binxian largest Buddhist temple grottoes is an important kind of representative of China's Tang Dynasty Buddhist culture and cave art, reflecting the dissemination and exchange of Buddhist culture in East Asia, is the study of Chinese Buddhist cave art and not was more important information. Binxian large Buddhist caves situated west of the eastern section of the first leg of the Northern Silk Road, Chang'an, Shaanxi Province is the largest group of caves, is an important part of the Silk Road.

Dafosi Grotto Caves is a big Foku core, is the center of the whole temple, is the largest cave monastery, the direction of 15 degrees east of north, the cave is approximately semicircular plane, which has 70 niches 1001 statues. It's a plane substantially convex shaped, horizontal width 34 m, depth 18 m, 24 m high. The overall structure of the upper cave is dome shaped, the main statue of Amitabha Buddha inside the cave, knot Jiafu seated on the lotus, 20 meters high, 5.2 meters high head, hands high 4.5 meters, 2 meters tall finger, fingernail 0.5 meters. Buddha hand the knee, left Shi fearless French and Indian, the body posture naturally plump, and looked and looked. Buddha stood on both sides were two Bodhisattvas are 17.6 meters high, on the left is a Bodhisattva, the right is the other Bodhisattvas.

At the foot of Xianyang City Binxian West Qingliangshan, lies a little-known caves - Binxian large Buddhist Grottoes. Qingliangshan cliff caves south, in front of the Jinghe River, Northern Wei period from the beginning of the cliff have drilled more than 130 caves, Zhongxingpengyue camel surrounded by a 20-meter high statue of Buddha, the largest Buddhist temple grottoes also because of this highest honor in Shaanxi Buddha named.

Xuanzang westbound Buddha in the second year, the latter built in AD 628, the Northern Silk Road became a landmark business travel the Silk Road to see the Buddha, you know Chang'an near.

Now people outside this Buddha statue reconstruction of a 4-storey temple of the Buddha to protect them, not into the temple, the Buddha did not see the true capacity.

Climb more than 30 steps, standing on the second floor of the observation deck of the temple, and Buddha could "face to face" the. 5.2 meter high Buddha at the top of the head and nearly four meters high, around the flame pattern, flying, sitting Buddha Grottoes dome shape. Looking down, is more than 10 meters high Buddha Results Organisation (jiā) tablets (fū) sitting body, right knees, left Shi fearless India, which has a finger about 2 meters long.

The left and right sides of the Buddha, the Goddess of Mercy and stood respectively Mahastamaprapta are 17.6 meters high.

Who is such a big Buddha carving? No more historical interpretation. Dafosi should initially called Temple, when the North Song for mother birthday celebration will be renamed Qingshou Temple. Buddha Cave because too big, since the Ming Dynasty, everyone referred to the monastery for the largest Buddhist temple.

Above the temple of "road feel" word, meaning those who feel the road, according to legend Li Bai title. The foot of the Buddha still see the winding mountain trail, it is a genuine Silk Road.

Jing original large rivers, the water level is high, this trail along the river at the foot of the mountain extends north Silk Road is the main trunk of the Shaanxi section, the first State Road 312 is built on its basis. Later, due to the Jinghe river level drops and the need for conservation, 312 State Road 200 meters south of the road to move.

Witness Buddhism spread eastward along the Silk Road and Evolution

Because the history of the previous campaign to destroy the Buddha destruction and years of erosion, the largest Buddhist temple statues Binxian inside caves preserved much, even Lord Buddha head, but also on the basis of 1924 descendants of foreigners leaving photos remodeling.

But in the grotto Thousand Buddha Caves, holds a statue of Maitreya Buddha more complete. This peculiar statue of Maitreya Buddha, and that it is now the most temples topless exposed belly, holding a rosary, like eyebrow monk music Tatu image different purpose. This Buddha hand knee, foot lotus image solemn, more importantly, it is not fat! This should be the introduction of Buddhism to China early Maitreya "original image."

Staff of the Institute, said this grotto earliest sculptures still retains many from ancient India and Western decoration, shape, and this is Buddhism was introduced into China via the Silk Road proof.

Because of the important role Binxian Dafosi caves on the Silk Road and profound impact on people in the caves on the west side of a cliff, engraved with "Master Xuan Zang Feng" translating Buddhist scriptures scriptures - "Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra. "(Correspondent Meng Guoqing / Wen Li Wei super / Chart)